Helen Keller Birthplace Foundation

At a plain, black well-pump in the small southern town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, one of the world’s great miracles took place. It began one bright, spring day in 1887. There is something spiritually uplifting about touching the actual well-pump where her teacher, Anne Sullivan, reached into the dark silent world of young Helen Keller’s mind and opened the window of communication. As Helen Keller continued to work with Sullivan she loved exploring the grounds of Ivy Green, a 640-acre estate. One of her favorite trees was a Water Oak, currently over 200 years old, which she often spoke and wrote about.

Helen Keller grew up to become one of history’s remarkable women. She dedicated her life to improving the conditions of blind and the deaf-blind around the world, lecturing in more than 25 countries on the five major continents.

American Heritage Trees worked with Ivy Green staff to collect Water Oak (including the 200 year old tree Helen Keller wrote), Southern Magnolia, and Loblolly Pine (Moon Tree) seeds for propagation.

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched; they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller